Latest News from Local Plan Examination

03 December 2024 - The Inspector has asked that the Council and Programme Officer, communicate that he welcomes the level of public interest and participation in the examination hearing sessions.  He has asked that we draw attention to his examination guidance notes which explain among other things, the role of the Inspector and the purpose of the examination hearing sessions as these will be used to guide the discussion at the hearings.  The Inspector will also give some brief opening remarks on day 1 of the hearings before considering the first Matter as detailed in his Matters Issues and Questions and Hearing Programme.


02 December 2024 - Please be advised that the Suggested Modification Documents SD14 and SD16 in the Examination Library webpage have been updated.


02 December 2024  -

Ways to observe the Hearings

Due to the high level of participation and local interest, seating in the hearing room will be limited. Please only attend if you need to. Only individuals named in the programme will be able to participate in the debate, and speaking from the observer section is not permitted. Observer seating is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

To enable greater accessibility, the hearings will be live streamed, allowing remote viewing. Observers and members of large contingents are strongly encouraged to follow the proceedings remotely. Those unable to secure seating in the hearing room will be directed to view the live stream remotely.

All individuals who have formally requested to speak and are listed on the programme as participants will have a reserved seat at the table, ensuring their right to participate is fully upheld.

Hot seaters

Participants listed on the programme as hot seaters will have a seat reserved near to their main speaker. As spaces for hot seating are limited, requests for multiple seats may not be accommodated and will be provided only for those intending to actively engage in the debate. Hot seating is strictly reserved for speaking participants.

If you have any questions on any of the above, please contact the programme officer.


28 November 2024 - Hearing Statements for all Matters have been added to the Examination Library webpage under Hearing Statements.

If you have submitted a hearing statement(s), please carefully check that it has been recorded correctly and contact the Programme Officer immediately if there are any issues.

Document HDC18 Schedule of suggested Modifications: Response to MIQs November 2024 has also been published, this should be read alongside Horsham District Council's hearing statements.


25 November 2024 - The following document has been updated in the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:

ID05 Horsham Examination Draft Hearing Programme V2

If you have requested to participate in the hearing sessions, please carefully check the draft hearing programme to ensure that you are listed correctly for all the matters you wish to attend and the name of your participant is correct. Hearing attendees will only be permitted to speak if they are named on the hearing programme. If you are not listed correctly or have any queries, please contact the Programme Officer immediately.

We have received a number of requests for multiple hotseats, unfortunately on larger sessions it may not be possible to accommodate all multiple hotseat requests.


12 November 2024 -  Please be advised that the Suggested Modification Documents, SD14, SD15, and SD16, in the Examination Library webpage, have been updated. The only changes to these documents are for referencing and formatting purposes to enable cross referencing.  They are otherwise identical to the submission versions.  As the examination proceeds these documents will be updated with a new version number when updated.  It is intended that these documents will be 'live' documents.


14 October 2024 - The following documents have been added to the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:

The Programme Officer will shortly be writing to all Representors regarding these documents.


1 October 2024 - The following documents have been added to the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:


23 September 2024 - The following document has been added to the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:

The programme officer has recently written out to all representors. If you have made representations but did not receive a copy of the above letter please contact the programme officer.


16 September 2024 - The following document has been added to the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:

The following documents have been added to the Examination Library webpage under Submission Documents:

The following document has been added to the Examination Library webpage under Evidence Base Documents:


10 September 2024 - New document has been added to the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:


23 August 2024 - The following documents have been added to the Examination Library webpage under Post Submission Documents:


06 August  2024 -  New document uploaded to website. The Council has published the Mid Sussex District Council Statement of Common Ground.  It is available in the Examination Library - reference DC17.


30 July 2024 -  The Secretary of State has appointed Inspector Luke Fleming BSc (Hons) MRTPI to hold an independent examination of the Horsham District Local Plan 2023 - 2040


26 July 2024 - Horsham District Council formally submitted the Local Plan and supporting documents to the Planning Inspectorate on Friday 26 July 2024.  A copy of the Local Plan Submission Notice is available to view below.

Hard copies of the submission documents, as listed in the Submission Notice, are available to view on request at Horsham District Council Offices, Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham, RH12 1RL.

The submission documents and relevant evidence base documents are available in the Local Plan Examination Library.

Local Plan Submission Notice